India will need 2,840 new aircraft and 41,000 pilots, as well as 47,000 technical staff, in the next 20 years, Rémi Maillard, President and Managing Director of Airbus India and South Asia, said on Thursday.
Speaking at a press conference during the Wings India 2024 aviation conclave and exhibition, Maillard highlighted Airbus’s commitment to doubling its sourcing from India to USD 1.5 billion by the end of the decade, up from the current USD 750 million.
Maillard said that Airbus received orders for 750 aircraft last year, delivering 75 units to Indian carriers, including 41 to IndiGo, 19 to Air India, 14 to Vistara, and one to Go First.
He emphasised India’s significance in global aviation, stating, “India is a force that will power global aviation over the next decades. The forecast is that India will require 2,840 new aircraft over the next 20 years to serve the needs of its growing aviation market.”
Maillard also highlighted the impact of Airbus’s A350 aircraft on revolutionising international travel in India, with six of these planes delivered to Air India in the previous year. He predicted that India would maintain its position as the world’s fastest-growing economy, projecting an annual growth rate of 6.2 percent over the next two decades.
(With PTI inputs)
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